Endocrine influences on parental care during a short breeding season: testosterone and male parental care in Lapland longspurs ( Calcarius lapponicus )

1999 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 360-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen E. Hunt ◽  
Thomas P. Hahn ◽  
John C. Wingfield
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Calcarius Lapponicus

scholarly journals Tri-axial accelerometry shows differences in energy expenditure and parental effort throughout the breeding season in long-lived raptors

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascual LÓPEZ-LÓPEZ ◽  
Arturo M PERONA ◽  
Olga EGEA-CASAS ◽  
Jon ETXEBARRIA MORANT ◽  
Vicente URIOS
Keyword(s):  
Energy Expenditure ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Video Recording ◽  
Experimental Manipulation ◽  
Biparental Care ◽  
Breeding Ecology ◽  
Parental Effort ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Movement Trajectories

Abstract Cutting-edge technologies are extremely useful to develop new workflows in studying ecological data, particularly to understand animal behaviour and movement trajectories at the individual level. Although parental care is a well-studied phenomenon, most studies have been focused on direct observational or video recording data, as well as experimental manipulation. Therefore, what happens out of our sight still remains unknown. Using high-frequency GPS/GSM dataloggers and tri-axial accelerometers we monitored 25 Bonelli’s eagles (Aquila fasciata) during the breeding season to understand parental activities from a broader perspective. We used recursive data, measured as number of visits and residence time, to reveal nest attendance patterns of biparental care with role specialization between sexes. Accelerometry data interpreted as the Overall Dynamic Body Acceleration, a proxy of energy expenditure, showed strong differences in parental effort throughout the breeding season and between sexes. Thereby, males increased substantially their energetic requirements, due to the increased workload, while females spent most of the time on the nest. Furthermore, during critical phases of the breeding season, a low percentage of suitable hunting spots in eagles’ territories led them to increase their ranging behaviour in order to find food, with important consequences in energy consumption and mortality risk. Our results highlight the crucial role of males in raptor species exhibiting biparental care. Finally, we exemplify how biologging technologies are an adequate and objective method to study parental care in raptors as well as to get deeper insight into breeding ecology of birds in general.

Energy Expenditure in Reproductive Effort of Male and Female Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

The Auk ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
pp. 553-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dianne H. Brunton
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Energy Expenditure ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Mating Effort ◽  
Parental Effort ◽  
Nest Failure ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Charadrius Vociferus

Abstract The reproductive investment strategies of the sexes during the breeding season are detailed for Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus), a monogamous plover. I measured the energy investments of the sexes in reproductive, mating, and parental effort. As predicted, males expend more mating effort than females; however, the sexes expend equal amounts of parental effort. Total energy expenditure in reproductive effort (mating and parental effort) during a successful nesting attempt was also equal for the sexes. However, early parental effort expenditures by females, early mating effort expenditures by males, and high rates of nest failure combine to result in female reproductive energy expenditures being significantly higher over the breeding season. This suggests that energy expenditure alone is not adequate for accurate comparisons of the relative investments of the sexes. Studies investigating male and female investments need to consider the degree and pattern of nest failures along with patterns of energy expenditure. The advantages to male and female Killdeer of sharing parental care is demonstrated using adult removal experiments. In general, a deserted parent expends more energy in parental effort than a bi-parental parent and has significantly lower reproductive success. However, males are able to hatch chicks, whereas females lose or abandon their nests within a few days of mate removal. Thus, monogamy in Killdeer appears to result from high nest failure rates, the necessity of two parents for any reproductive success, and the generalizable nature of Killdeer parental care.

Division of parental duties confirms a need for bi-parental care in a precocial bird, the mute swan Cygnus olor

2015 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radosław Włodarczyk ◽  
Piotr Minias
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Time Budget ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
European Population ◽  
Mute Swan ◽  
Cygnus Olor ◽  
Territory Defence ◽  
Male Activity ◽  
Reproductive Activities

Parental investment is much reduced in precocial species when compared with altricial species, which may explain a predominance of uni-parental care in this group of birds. In precocial wildfowl, bi-parental care is mostly restricted to arctic-breeding species, where the short reproductive season forces mates to cooperate in caring for the young, but a temperate breeding mute swan Cygnus olor is one of the few notable exceptions. In order to explain a need for bi-parental care in this species, we collected data on the time-budget of eleven swan breeding pairs from a Central European population. We found sex-related differences in the mean time allocated to incubation, movement, feeding, resting and aggression. Others behaviours (nest maintenance, alert and comfort) changed along the breeding season, but did not differ between sexes. Females were primarily responsible for providing care to the brood, whereas male activity focused on territory defence and family guarding. Females were exclusively responsible for incubation and they covered 85% of the total time allocated by parents to feeding cygnets. Nearly constant incubation in females limited possibilities for other activities, including foraging. Males allocated significantly more time than females to aggressive interactions, directed mainly towards other breeding pairs and non-breeders. A clear division of parental duties between sexes gave empirical support for the presence of bi-parental care in the mute swan, despite the fact that reproductive activities of this species are not constrained by the short length of the breeding season, as in arctic-breeding wildfowl.

Feeding ecology and life-history strategy of nesting males in a fish with long parental care, Lusitanian toadfish (Halobatrachus didactylus, Batrachoididae)

2015 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.M. Félix ◽  
M.C.P. Amorim ◽  
T.J. Pereira ◽  
P.J. Fonseca ◽  
C. Sousa-Santos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Life History Strategy ◽  
Otter Trawl ◽  
Artificial Nests ◽  
Limited Mobility ◽  
Egg Cannibalism ◽  
Male Condition

The Lusitanian toadfish,Halobatrachus didactylus, like other batrachoidids, is a benthic fish species with nesting behaviour during the breeding season. During this prolonged period it engages in mating activities and remains in the nest providing parental care. It is not known whether males feed while providing parental care but it is likely that their limited mobility may restrict their diet and influence their fitness. As a consequence, egg cannibalism could occur as a life-history strategy. The aim of the present study is to ascertain the feeding behaviour of nesting males, in comparison to mature non-nesting males, and to identify potential life-history traits related to egg cannibalism. Nest-holders were sampled from artificial nests placed in an intertidal area of the Tagus estuary, only exposed during spring low tides. The diet of nest-holders was compared with that of non-nesting mature males from the same area, captured by otter trawl. The present study demonstrates that despite their constrained mobility nest-holders feed during the breeding season, although in a more opportunistic fashion than non-nesting males. Nest-holders showed a generalist feeding behaviour, with a more heterogeneous diet. Egg cannibalism was not related to male condition, paternity or brood size but showed a higher incidence early in the season when water temperatures were lower. The results suggest a possible seasonal trade-off strategy between care and energy recovery, triggered by environmental factors, where under unfavourable conditions to sustain viable eggs the male may recover energy by eating eggs, thus benefiting future reproductive success, later in the season.

scholarly journals A theoretical analysis of the energetic costs and consequences of parental care decisions

2002 ◽  
Vol 357 (1419) ◽  
pp. 331-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. N. Webb ◽  
T. Székely ◽  
A. I. Houston ◽  
J. M. McNamara
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Programming Model ◽  
Average Duration ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Consistent Manner ◽  
Future Reproduction ◽  
Dynamic Programming Model ◽  
Energetic Reserves

Should a parent care for its young or abandon them before they reach independence? We consider parental care behaviour as an adaptive decision, involving trade–offs between current and future reproduction. The condition of the parent is expected to influence these trade–offs. Using a dynamic programming model we explore how changes in the levels of energetic reserves, and time in the season, determine changes in parental care decisions. The novel feature of our model is that we have included the possibility of remating within the current breeding season in a consistent manner by explicitly modelling the behaviour of unmated animals. We show that there may be several fluctuations in the average duration of care during the breeding season. We also show that, because of the dependence of parental care behaviour on both the condition of the parent and time during the breeding season, changing some of the costs of care may increase the duration of care during one part of the season and decrease it at another. The model also shows that the conditions prevailing for animals with dependent offspring can affect the way in which an unmated animal behaves. For example, the behaviour of unmated animals may change to compensate (partly) for increases in the costs of raising offspring, which are produced at a later date (for example, by increasing the duration of foraging between breeding attempts). Overall, the model provides a good framework for understanding how various ecological and life–history variables should influence parental care behaviour during a breeding season.

scholarly journals Post-breeding at-sea movements of three central-place foragers in relation to submesoscale fronts in the Southern Ocean around Bouvetøya

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 533-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew D. Lowther ◽  
Christian Lydersen ◽  
Martin Biuw ◽  
P.J. Nico de Bruyn ◽  
Greg J.G. Hofmeyr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Adult Female ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Polar Front ◽  
Central Place Foraging ◽  
Fur Seals ◽  
Antarctic Fur Seals

AbstractAt-sea behaviour of central-place foraging fur seals and penguins in the Southern Ocean is understudied during the latter stages of parental care and the subsequent pre-moulting period. This biologically important period is costly to investigate due to the risk (or certainty) of losing tracking instruments when the animals moult. Early in this period, parents must meet the increasing demands of larger, more mobile offspring that are still nutritionally dependent and then the parents must recover lost body condition prior to the onset of their annual moult. This study reports late-season, at-sea movement patterns of macaroni penguins, chinstrap penguins and adult female Antarctic fur seals from the subantarctic island Bouvetøya, in relation to remotely-sensed oceanographic features. Foraging trips differing significantly in direction and distance travelled compared to those performed earlier in the breeding season, coincide with the time when offspring would be expected to become independent. On these trips, macaroni penguins moved towards the Polar Front while chinstrap penguins and Antarctic fur seals moved southward. Individuals from all three species appeared to target submesoscale ocean features once they were presumed to have been released from the constraints of feeding their young and were able to travel greater distances from the colony.

scholarly journals The Red-headed Falcon Falco chicquera Daudin, 1800 (Aves: Falconiformes: Falconidae) breeding on Palmyra Palm at Bahour Lake, Puducherry (Pondicherry), India

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 11416
Author(s):  
Raveendran Lekshmi ◽  
Surendhar Boobalan
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Prey Density ◽  
Breeding Period ◽  
Adult Size ◽  
Feeding Frequency ◽  
Breeding Location ◽  
First Time ◽  
Care Availability ◽  
Union Territory

Breeding of the Red-headed Falcon Falco chicquera is being reported from Bahour Lake in Union Territory of Puducherry along with the breeding period observations.  The falcon nesting on the Palmyra palm Borassus flabellifer is reported for the first time from the country. The courtship was observed in mid-January and chicks fledged in mid-April. Incubation lasted 37 days, chicks fledged in 34–37 days, become nest independent in 40–43 days and become independent from parental care in 69–72 days.  Feeding frequency for 27–30 days old chicks were five prey deliveries during a two hours’ observation in the morning.  Fledglings were adult size, but with brownish crown and moustachial stripe, pale collar, maroon shoulders, darker wings and buff tinge on the underside; and were observed to retain the foraging territory in nesting area even after one month of removal from parental care.  Availability of quality crow nest in areas of good prey density could be a decisive factor in selecting breeding location; many crow nests on Palmyra palms were noticed in Puducherry region.  The palm nesting falcon could face additional threats from toddy and fruit extractors since the breeding season coincides with the flowering and fruiting season of Palmyra. 

Male Parental Care and Extrapair Copulations in the Indigo Bunting

The Auk ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 105 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
David F. Westneat
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Brood Size ◽  
Current Theory ◽  
Mating Effort ◽  
Parental Effort ◽  
Young Males ◽  
Passerina Cyanea ◽  
Male Care ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Levels of parental care by male Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea) were predicted to be lower and the tendency to pursue extrapair matings greater when (1) the opportunity of additional matings (extrapair copulations) was high, (2) the male was cuckolded, and (3) the clutch or brood size was small. Observations of male care revealed that approximately 10% of all males fed nestlings at least once, whereas more than 30% fed fledglings. Males in their first breeding season were never seen feeding young. Males made more trips off their territories when females were fertilizable on nearby territories, but other measures of parental care (feeding young and time spent within 10 m of nest) were not affected. Cuckolded males (known through genetic analyses of parents and offspring) tended to feed young less often, but forayed off their territories significantly less than apparently uncuckolded males. Finally, males with small clutches or broods gave slightly, but not significantly, less care than males with large clutches or broods. These results suggest that the relationship between mating effort and parental effort is complicated by the presence of extrapair copulations as a type of mating effort, and that factors not included in current theory on parental care might influence a male's parental care.

Destruction of a conspecific nest by a female Superb Lyrebird: evidence for reproductive suppression in a bird with female-only parental care

Behaviour ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 156 (15) ◽  
pp. 1459-1469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria I. Austin ◽  
Justin A. Welbergen ◽  
Alex C. Maisey ◽  
Meghan G. Lindsay ◽  
Anastasia H. Dalziell
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Compelling Evidence ◽  
Reproductive Suppression ◽  
Sexual Competition ◽  
Breeding Seasons

Abstract Reproductive suppression, whereby individuals decrease the reproductive output of conspecific rivals, is well-studied in mammals, but while it is suspected to be widespread in birds, evidence of this phenomenon remains rare in this class. Here we provide compelling evidence of reproductive suppression in the Superb Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandie), with the first audio-visual documentation of the destruction of one female’s nest by another. We propose that nest destruction may be a strategy that females use in protracted territorial negotiations spanning multiple breeding seasons, and discuss how reproductive suppression could explain puzzling nesting behaviours in this species, such as the construction of multiple unfinished nests in each breeding season. More broadly, these results reveal high intra-sexual competition among female lyrebirds, and thus may provide an explanation for their elaborate vocal displays.

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